By NNN-KUNA
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have agreed to launch final status talks next week in a bid to reach common ground before the international US-sponsored conference in November, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
The two leaders issued instructions to the Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams to start preparing the issues to be discussed at the conference, Erekat said in a press statement after the end of the summit meeting between Olmert and Abbas Wednesday.
They also agreed to meet with the two teams to supervise their work, he said.
Meanwhile, Abbas expressed readiness to abide by the US-backed international “Road Map” and US President George W. Bush’s vision of peace in the Middle East and to abide by international resolutions aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Erekat also announced the names of the Palestinian team, which he said would be headed by Ahmad Qorei with Yasser Abdel Rabbo as secretary and Saadi Al-Karens as well as Erekat himself and some experts.